U.S. patent application number 10/468269 was filed with the patent office on 2004-04-08 for seat.
Invention is credited to Bauer, Jurgen, Rossi, Mauro.
Application Number | 20040066076 10/468269 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 7694788 |
Filed Date | 2004-04-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040066076 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bauer, Jurgen ; et
al. |
April 8, 2004 |
Seat
Abstract
The invention relates to a seat, especially a vehicle seat, and
preferably an air passenger seat, comprising a seat element and a
seat element carrier (12), a backrest (10) which can be adjusted in
terms of the incline thereof, and at least one armrest (14), said
armrest being pivotably joined to the backrest (10). The armrest
(14) is continuously moved with the increasing or decreasing
incline of the backrest (10) by means of an adjustment mechanism
(20), said adjustment mechanism (20) for the armrest (14)
comprising at least four articulation points (22, 24, 26, 28). A
parallelogram articulation of the armrest is thus achieved by which
means said armrest can lower itself. The aim of the invention is to
be able to practically bring the backrest into a horizontal
position in which the so-called parallelogram geometrically follows
a fictitious line in an average incline position of the backrest,
the four articulation points of the parallelogram lying on one
line. To this end, a critical dead center position is easily
overcome in that a control part forms a type of auxiliary
parallelogram with its other articulation points (44, 46).
Inventors: |
Bauer, Jurgen; (Sulzbach,
DE) ; Rossi, Mauro; (Obersontheim, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Mark S Bicks
Roylance Abrams Berdo & Goodman
Suite 600
1300 19th Street NW
Washington
DC
20036
US
|
Family ID: |
7694788 |
Appl. No.: |
10/468269 |
Filed: |
August 19, 2003 |
PCT Filed: |
July 31, 2002 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP02/08514 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/354.13 ;
297/411.39 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 1/03 20130101; B60N
2/767 20180201 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/354.13 ;
297/411.39 |
International
Class: |
B60N 002/22 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 8, 2001 |
DE |
101 38 926.4 |
Claims
1. A seat, especially a vehicle seat, and preferably an aircraft
passenger seat, with a seat element and a seat element support
(12), a backrest (10) whose tilt angle can be adjusted, and at
least one armrest (14), whereby said armrest (14) is
swivel-connected to the backrest (10), whereby, as the tilt angle
of the backrest (10) is increased or decreased, the armrest (14) is
continuously carried along with it by means of the adjustment
mechanism (20), whereby the adjustment mechanism (20) for the
armrest (14) has at least four articulation points (22, 24, 26,
28), of which two (22, 24) are located with one at the seat element
support (12) and one at a connecting-rod part (38), and one of the
other two articulation points (26, 28) can move together with the
connecting-rod part (38) and the other (28) can move with the
backrest (10), characterized in that one articulation point (24) of
the control-rod part (38), which is fixed with respect to the seat
element support (12), and the other movable articulation point (26)
are located respectively at opposite ends of the connecting-rod
part (38), wherein the movable articulation point (26) of the
connecting-rod part (38) forms a guide for the armrest (14),
wherein in the area of the fixed articulation point (24) of the
connecting-rod part (38) a control part (42) catches it with its
one free end and by means of a fifth articulation point (44),
wherein the control part (42) catches the backrest (10) with its
other free end by means of another, sixth articulation point (46),
and wherein, with the backrest (10) adjusted to any angle of tilt,
the sixth articulation point (46) remains below the fourth
articulation point (28), by which the armrest (14) is
swivel-connected to the backrest (10).
2. The seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein, with the backrest (10)
in the upright position, the arm support (16) of the armrest (14)
is essentially horizontal or is slightly tilted forward and
wherein, with the backrest (10) fully reclined, the arm support
(16) is essentially parallel to the backrest (10).
3. The seat as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein, when the backrest
(10) is tilted between its upright and fully reclined positions,
the four articulation points (22, 24, 26, 28) are located
essentially along a common line (48) or in an overlap area whose
width can be set in advance and wherein the control part (42)
remains outside of this line and/or this area.
4. The seat as claimed in one of claims 1-3, wherein, as the tilt
angle of the backrest (10) increases, the four articulation points
(22, 24, 26, 28) clamp an imaginary parallelogram (50) in which the
control part (42) engages at least partially with the sixth
articulation point (46), by means of which the control part (42) is
attached to a lower end part of the backrest (10).
5. The seat as claimed in one of claims 1-4, wherein the lower end
part of the backrest (10) ends in a fork end piece (34), in which
one of the articulation points (22) of the adjustment mechanism
(20) is located and which the free end of the control part (42)
catches by means of the sixth articulation point (46).
6. The seat as claimed in one of claims 1-5, wherein the seat
element support (12) follows the adjusted tilt angle of the
backrest (10) and armrest (14) by means of the adjustment mechanism
(20) and wherein the seat element support (12) at least partially
forms a guide for the motion of the armrest (14).
7. The seat as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein at least one
actuator for operating the adjustment mechanism (20) catches the
backrest (10) and/or the lower part (38).
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a seat, particularly a vehicle
seat, and preferably an aircraft passenger seat, with a seat
element and a seat element support, a backrest whose tilt angle can
be adjusted, and at least one armrest, whereby said armrest is
mounted in such a way as to swivel at the backrest, whereby, as the
tilt angle of the backrest increases or decreases, the armrest is
continuously carried along with it by an adjustment mechanism, and
whereby the adjustment mechanism for the armrest has at least four
articulation points, of which one is located in the seat element
support and the other in a connecting-rod part and, of the other
two articulation points, one moves together with the connecting-rod
part and the other with the backrest.
[0002] DE 197 24 763 A1 discloses a vehicle seat, especially an
aircraft passenger seat, with a tilt-adjustment device, by means of
which the backrest is able to swivel around a swivel axis relative
to the seat element. Owing to the fact that the position of the
swivel axis is moved by a lever drive from an area between the
backrest and the seat element in such a way that the swivel axis is
located at the level of the seat occupant's hips, relative movement
between the backrest, on the one hand, and the seat occupant's
back, on the other, is avoided, so that the so-called shirt-ride-up
effect cannot arise when the backrest is tilted to the rear. The
vehicle seat designed for this purpose has a high degree of seating
comfort; however, the armrests on both sides of the seat are kept
in an essentially horizontal position, which adversely affects the
seat occupant's seating comfort, especially when the backrest is
tilted far back. Accordingly, it would be desirable to make it
possible to adjust the armrests as well.
[0003] The state of the art provides suggestions for how to adjust
the armrest or arm support. Thus, for example, DE 196 12 287 C1
relates to a seat device, especially a therapy seat with a seat
surface and a backrest whose tilt angle can be adjusted. Moreover,
the disclosed seat has at least one armrest that consists of an
upper support part and a lower guide part, whereby the support part
can swivel around a horizontal axis that is located on one side of
the backrest and is detachably attached to this axis. Moreover, the
guide part of the armrest can slide along a fixed guide and in this
connection is designed in such a form that, when it swivels around
the axis, the support part executes a translational motion that is
determined by the involute shape of the guide part. Owing to this
forced mechanical connection, during the entire time that the
seat-back tilt angle is being adjusted, the arm support of the
corresponding armrest is in a horizontal, continuously lowering
position that occurs when moving from a sitting to a reclining
position. If, however, the backrest is not completely in the
horizontal position, a seat occupant finds it uncomfortable to have
to keep his arms in a horizontal position on the arm supports when
the backrest is partially tilted to the rear.
[0004] Similar considerations also apply to the arm supports
described in DE 43 10 454 C1 and DE 195 42 198 A1, in which the arm
support can be shifted from an unused position to a position of use
by means of swiveling parallelogram guide rods, whereby in the
position of use the arm support can be moved up and down in an
essentially horizontal position regardless of the tilt angle of the
backrest.
[0005] DE 38 14 758 A1 discloses a vehicle seat with a seat
element, whereby the lateral spars of a backrest are flexibly
connected to the frame of a seat element by means of a swivel axis.
With the known approach, above the swivel axis each seat lateral
spar has a pivot above the swivel axis, where an armrest is
rotatably mounted that is connected to a guide rod attached to the
seat element, forming a parallelogram-shaped support. In this way,
regardless of the tilt angle of the backrest, the arm support is
held in a position parallel to the seat element, whereby, when the
backrest moves as the angle of tilt is adjusted, the armrest is
carried with it to the rear as it descends, thereby hampering the
occupant's ability to rest his arms on a support. Moreover, the
known approach requires a large number of connecting rods that are
controlled by a rotating armature; this disclosed approach results
in a heavy structure, and therefore to date it has been
successfully implemented only in motor vehicles.
[0006] On the basis of this state of the art the object of the
invention is to develop a seat, especially an aircraft passenger
seat, that meets even elevated comfort requirements, especially for
cases where the backrest is in a partially tilted-back position
that is located between an upright seat position and a reclined
position that is, if possible, largely horizontal. Moreover, the
desired solution should be compact and lightweight. A seat with the
features of claim 1 in its entirety accomplishes this object.
[0007] In that, as specified in the characterizing part of claim 1,
the one articulation point of the connecting-rod part that is fixed
with regard to the seat element support and the other movable
articulation point are located respectively at the opposite ends of
the connecting-rod part, in that the movable articulation point of
the connecting-rod part forms a guide for the armrest, in that in
the area of the fixed articulation point of the connecting-rod part
a control part catches it with its one free end and with the fifth
articulation point, in that the control part catches the backrest
with its other free end by means of another, sixth articulation
point, and in that, with the backrest adjusted to any tilted
position, the sixth articulation point, by means of which the
armrest is swivel-connected to the backrest, remains below the
fourth articulation point, a parallelogram-shaped guide for the
armrest is provided, whereby it can be lowered on its own, and, if
the backrest is to be moved to a virtually completely reclined
position in which the above-mentioned parallelogram geometrically
follows an imaginary line when the backrest is tilted halfway to
the rear by virtue of the fact that the four articulation points of
the parallelogram lie on the same line, an appropriate critical
dead-center position is easily overcome by virtue of the fact that
the control part with its other articulation points forms a kind of
auxiliary parallelogram which, with the first parallelogram in the
above-mentioned dead-center position with its four articulation
points, stays in the "tensioned" position.
[0008] In addition to unhampered operation, the armrest retains its
position relative to the tilting motion of the backrest viewed more
or less in the longitudinal direction and tilts appreciably only
when the backrest is tilted further back, so that the entire
armrest area continues to remain available to a seat occupant even
in the reclined position. Because of the small number of components
required, the approach according to the invention is cost-effective
and light in weight, which is of particular importance in aviation
in connection with controlling fuel costs. Since, in addition, the
essential parts of the adjustment parallelogram are located in the
area of the seat element support, there are no mechanical
components of an adjustment device in the area of the seat element
or the backrest; particularly in the event of a crash, this
provides for enhanced safety since the seat occupant cannot be
injured by such mechanical components.
[0009] It is preferable that provision is made such that, with the
backrest in the upright position, the arm support of the armrest is
essentially horizontal or is tilted only slightly from the
horizontal and that, with the backrest tilted all the way to the
rear, the arm support is essentially parallel to the backrest.
Thus, even when the aircraft passenger seat is in the reclined or
berthed position, it is possible for the seat occupant to hold his
arms in a relaxed position; in this case, in keeping with improved
seating comfort, the occupant's arms are essentially in the same
plane as his torso.
[0010] Other advantageous embodiments are features of the other
dependent claims.
[0011] Below, the seat according to the invention is explained in
greater detail using a sample embodiment in the nature of an
aircraft passenger seat.
[0012] Here, in diagrammatic form, not to scale:
[0013] FIGS. 1-4 present, in a side view, the essential components
of the aircraft passenger seat with its adjustment mechanism,
whereby the armrest facing the viewer has been omitted from the
drawing and thus the adjustment mechanism behind it is visible,
along with the other armrest. Moreover, to ensure better
visibility, the upholstery for the backrest and the seat element
has been eliminated from the drawing, including any actuators and
other means of adjusting the seat to the extent that the adjustment
motion of the armrest was not affected.
[0014] FIG. 1 shows the aircraft passenger seat in its upright
position, where the backrest 10 is tilted only slightly to the
rear. In addition, the seat element, in the form of the seat
element support 12, shown, is essentially horizontal, and in the
horizontal direction the corresponding armrest 14 with its arm
support 16 is tilted slightly forward toward the edge of the seat.
With its right-hand upper end, as is to be seen in the line of
sight to FIG. 1, the armrest 14 is swivel-attached to a projection
18 of the backrest 10 in its lower area. And as FIGS. 1-4 in
particular show, an adjustment mechanism, which is designated as a
whole as 20, ensures that, as the backrest 10 is tilted to a
greater or lesser extent, the armrest 14 is continually brought
along with it. If the backrest 10 moves into its fully reclined
position as shown in FIG. 4, the adjustment mechanism 20 ensures
that the arm support 16 lies essentially parallel to the backrest
10 in question with its upholstery, not shown, and at the same time
is accordingly tilted slightly downward toward the cabin floor.
[0015] Said adjustment mechanism 20 initially has four articulation
points 22, 24, 26, and 28. The first articulation point 22, as seen
in the line of sight of the figures, is located at an
upward-projecting extension 30 at a rear upper end of the seat
element support 12. Said first articulation point 22 accordingly
forms a first swivel axis, which the lower end of the backrest 10
catches with a fork end 32 of a fork end piece 34. The other fork
end 36 of the fork end piece 34 catches an actuator, not shown, in
the form of, for example, a pneumatic or hydraulic working cylinder
or an electromechanical actuating drive which, when activated, can
be used to adjust the tilt of the backrest 10 and thus, by way of
the adjustment mechanism 20, necessarily controls the motion of the
other seat components such as seat element support 12 and armrest
14.
[0016] The second articulation point 20 is located at the lower end
of the longitudinally movable seat element support 12 and thus
forms a fixed swivel axis which the lower end of a connecting-rod
part 38 catches. In the area of the other free end of the
connecting-rod part 38 is the third articulation point 26, whereby
the corresponding swivel axis engages with the armrest 14 and thus
forms another guide for the corresponding armrest, not shown, that
faces toward the observer. Since in its forward and lower areas the
armrest 14 is designed in the shape of an arc, the corresponding
arc-shaped line 40 can additionally or alternatively be part of
another guide that is otherwise formed by an inside rail, not
shown, of the seat element support 12.
[0017] Moreover, in the area of the third articulation point 26, an
actuator (not shown) can catch that initiates the motion of the
adjustment mechanism 20 and thus makes it possible to adjust the
angle of tilt of the components. Said actuator can supplement or
replace the actuator that is connected to the fork end piece 34 of
the backrest 10. The fourth articulation point 28 is formed by the
point where the armrest 14 is coupled to the backrest 10 with its
projection 18. In order to be able to follow the adjustment of the
tilt angle of the backrest 10, the seat element support 12 can be
swiveled around the fixed axis in the form of the second
articulation point 24.
[0018] With its lower free end and by means of a fifth articulation
point 44, a control part 42 in the form of a control rod catches in
the area of the fixed articulation point 24 of the connecting-rod
part 38 and between the two free ends thereof. With its other free
end, the control part 42 in turn catches the backrest 12,
specifically in the area of the fork end piece 34, and consequently
in a lower area of the backrest 10 between the first articulation
point 22 and the fourth articulation point 28. Said catching takes
place by means of a sixth articulation point 46. As FIGS. 1-4 in
their entirety show, here, regardless of the angle to which the
tilt of the backrest 10 is adjusted, the sixth articulation point
46 remains below the fourth articulation point 28, by means of
which the armrest 14 is swivel-connected to the backrest 10 in the
rear area.
[0019] As the depiction in FIG. 2 in particular indicates, when the
backrest 10 is adjusted at a tilt angle between its upright
position (FIG. 1) and its fully reclined position (FIG. 4), the
four articulation points 22, 24, 26, 28 are located more or less
along a common line 48 or inside of an overlap area whose width can
be set in advance by the rail 48, whereby the control part 42 with
its sixth articulation point 46 remains outside of this line guide
48 and/or this area. The corresponding tilt adjustment situation as
indicated in FIG. 2 corresponds to a certain dead-center point of
the adjustment mechanism that can cause self-inhibition in the
adjustment of the angle of tilt and, because of the forced coupling
by way of the rod-like control part 42, it is possible to overcome
this area in order to move the backrest 10 into, for example, an
upright position as shown in FIG. 2.
[0020] In the opposite case, i.e., when backrest 10 is tilted far
to the rear, as shown in FIG. 4, the four articulation points 22,
24, 26, 28 clamp an imaginary parallelogram 50, in which the
control part 42 engages with its upper free end and at the same
time with the sixth articulation point.46 while overcoming the
dead-center behavior. In this way reliable, appropriate,
obstacle-free activation is possible with the aircraft passenger
seat adjusted to any tilt position by way of the control part 42.
Since, as FIG, 4 indicates in particular, with the aircraft
passenger seat in a reclined or berthed position, all essential
components such as backrest 10, seat element support 12 with the
seat element (not shown), and the corresponding arm support 16 of
the corresponding armrest 14 can assume coordinated tilt and height
adjustment positions, a high degree of seating comfort is achieved,
and even long-distance flights can thus be handled by a seat
occupant easily and in an ergonomically favorable manner. In this
connection it is possible to ensure that leg and foot rests, not
shown, emulate the angles to which the other seat components are
tilted so that an optimum resting position for the seat occupant is
thus achieved in the leg area as well.
[0021] Based on the design implementation of its features, the
above-described aircraft passenger seat can also easily be used in
vehicles, for example, in vehicle ferries, tour buses, etc. Another
possible application is in the area of medical therapy chairs, for
example, in the form of an operating chair or table for dental
treatment methods. If implemented in modular fashion, the approach
of the invention makes it possible to quickly remove the armrest
and replace it with a new or different armrest since the
corresponding exchange process is not hampered by the mechanism and
also the armrest has only a single point where it is connected to
the backrest.
* * * * *